Fort Wayne Likely To Snub Popular Mayor Over Suggestive Name

A popular former mayor of Fort Wayne, Ind., is looking likely to get passed over by a selection committee charged with commemorating a new government center, simply because of his name: Harry Baals.

Baals, pronounced like "balls," is the clear frontrunner in an online vote taken to gauge support for the various candidates, but on Tuesday, city officials suggested that they didn't want to humiliate the city by giving people a reason to snicker at the name of the structure.

"We love Fort Wayne, too. We're not going to make any decisions that look bad," Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, clarifying that a potential "Harry Baals Government Center" was "probably not" going to happen.

The beloved mayor, who's name is now pronounced "bales" by some, despite the fact that he used the "balls" pronunciation himself, served three full terms and eventually died in office during his fourth.

At least one descendant thinks the city should grow up and accept the results of the democratic process, which show Baals with nearly 6,000 votes, about 5,400 more than the closest runner-up.

"Harry served four terms and was a wonderful mayor. I don't know what the problem is," Jim Baals, the former mayor's grand-nephew told the Gazette. "I understand people are going to poke fun at it. That's OK. I've lived with that name for 51 years now and I've gotten through it. I think everybody else can, too."

Comments

[EileenNOB]

10:13 PM on 03/30/2011

The HARRY BAALS Government Center is discussed on my talk show - "NO OFFENSE BUT..." with ANTHONY and EILEEN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8VlM6pIVRw

[varptr]

11:17 PM on 02/12/2011

The Harold Baals name is looking like the best choice with or without the humor. Ft. Wayne was my hometown most of my life. It's good to shed a little light on history and have some fun doing it :-)

[David Speakman]

09:57 PM on 02/10/2011

Why leave his wife, Minnie out?

Harry & Minnie Baals were the first family of Fort Wayne for many years.

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110209/LOCAL/110209453/1002/LOCAL

[BdoMcGregor]

07:11 AM on 02/16/2011

Wow....

[jwmellott]

09:42 PM on 02/10/2011

A GREAT MAYOR!!!!
Long live the GOP!

[jwmellott]

09:41 PM on 02/10/2011

It could be worse; what if they named it the Keith Olbermann Building?

[BdoMcGregor]

07:12 AM on 02/16/2011

Ladies and gentlemen one of the CPAC comedians has gotten onto HuffPo. Just be nice and applaud and don't make any sudden movements.

[Nel Pineda]

07:36 PM on 02/10/2011

What the hell they're creaming about?...I meant screaming about.

Build it.......then keep Harry Baals Clean.

Advertisement: Tomorrow morning, ladies and gentlemen, we will be serving Sausages and Eggs for breakfast.

[edgemo]

07:24 PM on 02/10/2011

Maybe, Harold? Juvenile. Seems The Donald may be right.

[dididangerlove]

06:56 PM on 02/10/2011

C'mon - he was elected four times and was beloved? Not naming the government center after him because of his name is ridiculous - like those people who started (mis)pronouncing Uranus as yer-uh-nus instead of yer-a-nus. Grow up. Yeah, it's kinda funny but it also has character - like Mr. Baals apparently.

[randyjet]

06:32 PM on 02/10/2011

There is a simple solution. Name it the H. Baals Center.
The Socialist Workers Party had one of the funnier campaign line-ups for CA governor and Senator. It was Dianne Feeley for Gov, and Herman Fagg for Senator, thus the Feeley Fagg campaign.

[LisaCACO]

06:26 PM on 02/10/2011

omg, this is the funniest thing all day. I feel like I've beamed into an episode of Beavis and Butthead and I'm sitting on the couch with them. oh, I'm going to laugh for days over this...

to answer your question thinkingwomanmillstone, yes, I am still in 4th grade. must be the endless South Park episodes I watch...

[MED1025]

11:15 PM on 02/10/2011

Kick back and sing "Salty Balls".

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

05:38 PM on 02/10/2011

Grow up people, are you all still in fourth grade? If the man did enough good for the town to warrant the building to be named after him, do it. No one can read anymore ,anyway, so the name won't matter.

[baseballmom]

05:50 PM on 02/10/2011

There are horrible things in the news every day. Once in a while something comes along that makes you chuckle, or at least snicker. It helps make the rest bearable.

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

06:14 AM on 02/11/2011

the people making the comments don't need to grow up...the people in the town do. The man's name shouldn't determine whether he is honored...his actions should. It might cause chuckles but so what.

[KeepLeft]

05:13 PM on 02/10/2011

Having an unfortunate name, but receiving lots of cash helped ease the pain for UCLA when they named the Hugh G. Dick Library

[thinkingwomanmillstone]

05:37 PM on 02/10/2011

My son's school has Loser Hall (I think they pronounce it with a long O)

[charlesdickens]

04:57 PM on 02/10/2011

Do you think that the Brits are so nutty and hung up over Ed Balls, one of their leaders?

[BdoMcGregor]

07:20 AM on 02/16/2011

I'm not sure if you are being facetious or not..

But the Brits are just as immature if not more so than us yanks. Have you ever seen the Graham Norton show? Where he goes through the white pages finding people with unfortunate names? Ever seen Benny Hill or the Carry On films?

[logicanada]

04:39 PM on 02/10/2011

Go with the motto: Baals To The Walls and he'll do OK

[MED1025]

04:28 PM on 02/10/2011

Are Beavis and Butthead on the comittee? Let there be a Harry Baals Center. People deserve a daily chuckle.
Here in West Chester, PA, we have Gay Street. It's been Gay Street since the 1880's and we're not going to change it. I always chuckle when I head south on Rt. 202 and see a great big green road sign "Gay Street" with an arrow pointing to the exit.

[graceland9]

05:42 PM on 02/10/2011

Hey, I'm a West Chester gal! I used to hear, You go in High, you come out Gay.

[MED1025]

11:14 PM on 02/10/2011

How true. I forgot about that.

[BdoMcGregor]

07:22 AM on 02/16/2011

Do you laugh because you're gay yourself or because you're straight going down gay street?